Fabric retaining means



June 17, 1941, J, CLAY 2,245,961

FABRIC RETAINING MEANS Filed Oct. 8, 1940 INVENT OR.

Patented June 17, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OLF'FI- CE FABRIC RETAININGMEANS.

Joseph Burleigh Clay, Cedar Falls, Iowa, assignor' to Clay EquipmentCorp., Cedar Falls, Iowa, a

corporation of- Iowa Application October 8, 1940, Serial No. 360,284

9'Claims. (Cl. 156-14) beingmade up, for example, in the form. of a,

rectangular. frame, and. in which the. sheet or. fabric.can be installedwithout tools or other accessory equipment, and with a maximum. ofconvenience.

. Itis a. further object of my invention to provide a retainer frameforsheet material which will grip the material'firmly even afterreplacements have been made several times.

A further object is to provide a retainer frame in which the placementof the retainer rod serves to stretch the retained material firmly inthe frame.

Another object is to provide a constructionin which the retainer. rodcan be easily removed when replacement of the retained material isdesired.

With these and. other objects inview my in.- vention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of.-

iny device whereby the-objects'contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a screen frame embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of aportion of the screenframe.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view takenon theline 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View of a portion of the screen frame, takenas if looking upward at the portion shown in Figure 2.

On the drawing I have used the reference'numeral it! to indicategenerally the principal structural member of my device. It consists of aU-shaped channel portion l2, and exten-- sions therefrom which may takeany desired form, but which are shown in the drawing as a flange I4, anda lip l6 having a rounded connection at I! to the channel l2. In theform shown the members l4 and [6 are disposed at right angles to eachother, so that the entire member ID has the general cross-sectional formof an angle, giving it the desired structural strength.

As seen in Figure 1, members formed in the cross-sectional shape,described and illustrated in Figures 2:; and 3, may be, assembled toform. a

rectangular frame, which. in the present example is shown asa. windowscreen frame. The screenwire I8 is retained. in theframe by press-.- inga rod or filler strip 20 intothe channel portion I2, the edgeof thescreen [8'- being'interposed between the rod. 20 andthe. inner walls ofthe channel portion l2, as may be seen in.

Figures; 2-. and 3.

The relative dimensions of the filler rod 20. and the inside-ofthechannel 12- are preferably a period of time-since the frictionalfitis not sufficiently firm and permanent.

I have found that by indenting one wall of the channel I2 toform'projections 22, a firm,

and permanentfit isobtained. The projections 22 are preferablyformed'ona linenear the top of the rod. 20, in its installed position,so, that the projeetionserveslas a stop to maintain. thev rod. andscreen. wire in. place, as will be understood by. reference to'Figure 3.The projections: should. extend: into the channel sufiiciently so thatthe distance, between the inner end. of the projectionand theoppositewall of the channel is slightly less than: the sum of thediameter of the rod ZII-and two thicknesses of the screen l8.

wire, and-consequentlya good-spring fit results. Spacing; of.theprojections; 22 longitudinally of, the; channel has the'virtuethatwhentherrod; 2D issnapped;into. place, .as above described, the.

springing or yielding of the channel is distributed considerably alongthe portions of the channel adjacent the projection, so that nopermanent distortion occurs, and a good spring fit is obtained, evenafter the rod and the screen wire have been repeatedly removed andreplaced.

A further advantage of the construction described lies in the fact thatthe procedure of installation applies tension to the body of the screenwire, giving a neat and attractive appearance to the assembled screen.This result is attained by reason of the fact that as the rod 20 ispressed into place, it pinches the outer edge of the screen wire againstthe projection 22 and tends to hold it there as the rod moves ondownward into the channel. The rod pulls a loop of the screen down intothe channel, thus taking up This means, of course,, that thewalls of thechannelv must spring apart somewhat when. therod 20 ispressed into placewith the screen.

any slack in the screen wire by drawing it in, over the lip I6 and therounded edge I! and down into the channel l2.

To facilitate removal of the filler rod 2!] when replacement of thescreen is required, I provide a perforation 24 in the bottom wall of thechannel I2 adjacent each of the projections 22. Any suitable instrument,such as the nail 26, may be inserted through the perforation to driveout the rod. This is much simpler and more satisfactory than thepractice of prying out the rod from the inside of the channel, as hasbeen necessary in certain older constructions. Location of theperforations 24 immediately adjacent the projections 22 permits theforce applied for removal to be applied in exactly the right place.

A screen frame made according to the construction which I have shown anddescribed is economical, light and durable. It makes'replacement of thescreen wire convenient and simple.

Obviously the same arrangement can be used for'other materials orfabrics than the ordinary screen wire which I have described merely asan example. Cloth, sheet rubber, paper and other pliable materials canbe retained and stretched in a similar manner.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose ofmy invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modifiedforms of structure, or use of mechanical equivalents, which may bereasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. Screen wire retaining means comprising a channel member, a rodreceived in said channel, and inwardly extending projections from onewall of said channel, spaced longitudinally thereof, the distance fromthe point of one of said projections to the opposite wall of the channelbeing slightly less than the diameter of said rod plus two thicknessesof screen wire.

2. Means for clamping a fabric comprising a channel-shaped member, a rodremovably received in said channel, and lugs spaced longitudinally ofsaid channel member and extending from one wall thereof into thechannel, said lugs being spaced above the bottom of said channel byapproximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the fabricto be clamped.

3. Fabric retaining means including a channel bar, a rod received insaid bar, inwardly extending projections fromone side wall of said bar,spaced longitudinally thereof, the distance from the inner end of one ofsaid projections to the opposite side wall of the channel being lessthan the .7 diameterof the rod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to beretained, and perforations in the bottom of said channel adjacent saidprojections.

4. A screen wire retainer comprising a channelshaped member, a rodremovably received in said channel, lugs spaced longitudinally of saidchannel member and extending from one wall thereof into the channel,spaced above the bottom of said channel by approximately the diameter ofsaid rod plus the thickness of the screen wire to be clamped, andperforations in the bottom of said channel adjacent said projections.

5. In means for temporarily gripping a fabric, a channel member, afiller member insertible into said channel, said filler member beingforced into said channel with the fabric interposed, and frictionallyretained therein, and perforations in the bottom of said channel throughwhich an instrument may be inserted fol driving said filler memher outof engagement with said channel.

6. In a fabric clamp, a channel bar, a rod insertible in said channeland stop means on one side wall of said channel, spaced above the bottomof the channel by approximately the diameter of said rod plus thethickness of the fabric to be clamped, the distance from the inner endof said stop means to the opposite side wall of the channel being lessthan the diameter of the rod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to beclamped.

'7. In a fabric clamp, a channel bar, a rod insertible in said channel,perforations in the bottom wall of said channel, and stop means on oneside wall of said channel, spaced above the bottom of the channel byapproximately the diameter of said rod plus the thickness of the fabricto be clamped, the distance from the inner end of said stop means to theopposite side wall of the channel being less than the diameter of therod plus two thicknesses of the fabric to be clamped.

8. In means for supporting and tensioning a fabric sheet, a frame, meanson said frame for holding one edge of said sheet, a channel shapedmember adjacent the opposite edge of said sheet, a rod removablyreceived in said channel, and projections extending inwardly from onewall of said channel, said projections being located substantially on aline with the top of said rod when said rod is in place in said channel,said opposite edge of said sheet being engaged between said rod and saidchannel.

9. In a clamp for gripping a fabric sheet, a member having a channelportion, the walls of said channel portion extending substantiallyperpendicular to the main body of the fabric sheet, a lip extendinginwardly from the inner wall of said channel, a rounded connectionbetween said lip and said inner wall, an extension of the outer wall ofsaid channel, perpendicular to said lip, and a rod received in saidchannel.

JOSEPH BURLEIGH CLAY.

